Two seats are open on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. While Republican incumbents Doug Albrecht and Victoria Lods are running unopposed in the primary, their visibility remains strong thanks to their incumbency and continued participation in bi-weekly Republican breakfasts. However, it’s important to note that the nature of those events has recently changed. Once open to Democrats and members of the press, they are now restricted to party loyalists only—limiting public access to what was previously a more inclusive civic forum. Still, the meetings offer regular policy and project updates for attendees, which maintains some form of communication within the party.

We recently conducted a radio interview with Commissioner Albrecht, which marked a meaningful step toward public transparency. As the longest-serving commissioner, Albrecht holds a unique position to explain complex issues that often fly under the radar. We encourage him—and Commissioner Lods—to continue making comprehensive information available in centralized formats like InformTheVoteNJ.com, where voters from all backgrounds can benefit. Doing so would further distinguish them from some of their Democratic challengers who have yet to engage publicly.

On the Democratic side, candidates John Capizola, Yolanda Balicki, and LaRae Smith are in different phases of outreach. Capizola and Balicki initially committed to completing a questionnaire and scheduling an interview through their campaign manager, but no progress has been made in the weeks since. In contrast, Smith has demonstrated a consistent commitment to voter transparency: she released a detailed campaign platform, launched a public-facing website with event listings, and participated in a full-length interview.

Notably, the Cumberland County Democratic Party has yet to post any 2025 event listings or candidate updates on its website—not even for its endorsed slate. While the Republican Party has at least maintained regular internal meetings, the Democratic Party currently offers no consistent structure for keeping even loyal supporters informed, let alone the broader public. In an election cycle as consequential as this one, basic campaign information should not be hidden behind outdated outreach practices or limited digital footprints.

As a reminder, our outreach process includes mailed letters and emails sent to candidate-provided addresses through the County Clerk, regular attendance at campaign events and political meetings, online searches for each candidate, and ongoing efforts to encourage transparency at the county level. We have also urged state lawmakers to reform election law to require counties to centralize and distribute this kind of voter information themselves.